Winners of the Second Open Children’s Letter Contest, ‘I want to go to Artek,’ will get a chance to spend their vacation at the Artek International Children’s Center in August 2017.

The “I want to go to Artek” children’s letter contest is gaining popularity. Last year, children from across the world wrote and posted more than 5,000 letters that came not only from across Russia, but also from Asia, America, the Middle East, Europe and the CIS.

In 2017, contest winners will get to go to Artek in August for a session devoted to letter writing and the postal service.

The contest was designed to preserve and promote the traditions of letter writing, as well as raising awareness among the younger generation on the importance of studying Russian language, history and culture. The letter is to be hand-written in Russian. If a participant comes from abroad, the letter in Russian can be accompanied with a version in his or her native language.

The contest is open to children from 10 to 16 years of age.

In order for contest organizers to be able to get in touch with applicants, please provide, at the end of the letter, your full name, your telephone number and that of your parents, as well as an e-mail address.

The contest results will be announced on Artek’s anniversary, June 16, 2017.

‘I want to go to Artek’ Contest Rules

1. General provisions

1.1. These Rules regulate the status of the open creative letter writing contest, “I want to go to Artek,” (hereinafter referred to as the “Contest”), how it will be held, and the requirements for participants and entries, submission of entries and the timeframe of the Contest. The Rules remain in effect until Contest-related events are completed.

1.2. The Contest is organized by the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution Artek International Children’s Center and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post.

1.3. The Contest aims to highlight the contribution of the Artek International Children’s Center to educating the next generation, as well as supporting and preserving culture and traditions.

2. Contest objectives

2.1. The Contest aims to preserve the traditions of letter writing as a genre, raise awareness among the younger generation of the importance of the native language, history and culture, support talented youth and promote postal services.

3. Participation terms and entry requirements

3.1. The Contest is open to children between the ages of 10 and 16.

3.2. Entry for the competition is free of charge.

3.3. Entry requirements:

3.3.1. Only letters hand-written by the applicant will be accepted as entries. Other types of creative work shall not be accepted, reviewed or returned.

3.3.2. A contest entry shall not exceed two (2) A4 pages.

3.3.3. Entries shall be submitted in a standard postal envelope.

3.3.4. The letter is to be posted by registered mail with return receipt.

3.3.5. The envelope with a contest entry shall contain the full postal address of the applicant, last name, first name and patronymic (if applicable) in the sender’s address bar.

3.3.6. On the entry itself (after the letter) the applicant shall write his or her full name, date of birth, telephone number and e-mail address.

3.3.8. Every applicant must register on the Putyovka automated information system at the артек.дети website.

3.3.9. Only original works (no more than one entry per applicant) that have not been published previously or submitted to other contests shall be accepted.

3.3.10. The content of the entry shall be related to the theme of the contest “I want to go to Artek.”

4. Submission deadlines and procedures

4.1. Contest entries must be postmarked between March 1, 2017 and April 30, 2017.

4.2. Entries shall be evaluated in two stages:

Stage 1: from April 30, 2017 through May 25, 2017 at the Artek Post children’s entertainment center;

Stage 2: from June 1, 2017 through June 15, 2017 at the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution Artek International Children’s Center.

4.3. The names of winners and extracts from their letters will be published on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution Artek International Children’s Center and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post after the results are announced.

4.4. No feedback will be provided, and submissions shall not be returned.

Stage 2: representatives of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Crimean Post and the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution Artek International Children’s Center.

4.5.2. The Contest jury will evaluate entries and select winners, and reserves the right to refrain from evaluating entries that do not meet the established requirements, as well resolve issues that may arise when preparing and holding the Contest.

4.5.3. Decisions by the jury shall not be subject to revision.

4.6. Contest participants registered on Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post official website will receive an electronic Contest participant’s certificate after the Contest results are announced.

5. Evaluation criteria

5.1. The evaluation criteria will be as follows:

Complies with the requirements set forth in Clause 3 of these Rules;
Original narrative;
Graphic, vivid language and artistic presentation;
Follows letter-writing style.

6. Awards

6.1. Contest winners will receive free holiday packages to attend a vacation session at the Artek International Children’s Center. The packages will be provided by the Artek International Children’s Center. Transfers to the Artek International Children’s Center shall be arranged by the parents or people acting in their capacity.

7. Additional terms

7.1. Entries submitted by Contest participants and the rights to use these entries are transferred to the Contest organizers without compensation. The organizers reserve the right to use these materials (publish, make publicly available, etc.). The Contest organizers reserve the right to use the submitted entries and their fragments in designing websites, as well as when organizing and holding various thematic events for teachers and teenagers devoted to the Russian language and letter writing.

7.2. By applying for the Contest, participants confirm that they have read and understood these Rules.